Durbin says he may write letter to Bush on behalf of Ryan

Wednesday

Nov 26, 2008 at 12:01 AMNov 26, 2008 at 12:13 PM

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Tuesday imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan has paid a high price for his crimes, and the Springfield Democrat wonders if making Ryan serve out his full sentence is the right thing to do.

Bernard Schoenburg

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Tuesday imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan has paid a high price for his crimes, and the Springfield Democrat wonders if making Ryan serve out his full sentence is the right thing to do.
At a Statehouse news conference to discuss issues before Congress, Durbin responded to a question about Ryan and said he’s considering sending a letter to President George W. Bush asking that the remaining part of the former Republican governor’s 6 1/2-year sentence be commuted.
Ryan, 74, was convicted in April 2006 of steering contracts, tax fraud, misuse of tax dollars and state workers, and killing a bribery investigation. He began serving his sentence in early November 2007 at a federal prison in Oxford, Wis., and was transferred Feb. 28 to a prison in Terre Haute, Ind.
A Cook County judge in May 2007 upheld a decision to strip Ryan of his entire $197,000-a-year pension. Ryan’s request for part of his pension was argued in an appellate court several weeks ago.
“Let’s look at the price he’s paid,” Durbin told reporters. “His family name has been damaged. … He has lost the economic security, which most people count on at his age. And he is separate from his wife at a time when she is in frail health. To say that he has paid a price for his wrongdoing — he certainly has. The question is whether continued imprisonment is appropriate at this point.”
Durbin said the White House did not seek his opinion, and Ryan’s lawyers did not contact him about the potential commutation.
He said he has served with former first lady Lura Lynn Ryan on the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and she spoke to him about a year ago, when Ryan was imprisoned, about what it meant to her family.
“She was very emotional, as you can understand,” Durbin said. “But she has not been calling me beyond that.”
Durbin said he is considering asking the president for a sentence commutation but not a pardon.
Former Republican Gov. Jim Thompson, who as an attorney has represented Ryan, welcomed possible intervention by Illinois’ senior senator.
“I am sure Governor and Mrs. Ryan appreciate Senator Durbin’s thoughtful and compassionate statement,” Thompson said via e-mail. “I do as well.”
Springfield resident Tony Leone, a longtime Ryan friend who has worked for Ryan in roles including being clerk of the Illinois House when Ryan was House speaker in the early 1980s, has also written the president asking for commutation of Ryan’s sentence. He lauded Durbin for considering making a similar request.
“That’s frankly the kind of public servant he is,” Leone said. “He stands up for what he thinks is right.”
Leone said Ryan is only allowed a limited number of visitors per month, and Ryan’s wife, who “goes faithfully every weekend,” and five children dominate that schedule.
“I spoke to Lura Lynn a couple of weeks ago,” Leone said. “She thought George was looking pretty good. He had lost enough weight (for it) to be very noticeable.”
Leone said weight loss “is good for some of his ailments,” as he is diabetic.
But Leone also said he had heard another report that Ryan “looked horrible.”
“He obviously has lost weight, and he’s getting older,” Leone said.
Leone said he thinks Ryan was an effective and productive leader who followed a political tradition of supporting friends, but “some of George’s close confidants took advantage of that accessibility,” leading to trouble.
“He knew I never took advantage of our closeness,” Leone added.
Former Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican, said following a Springfield appearance Nov. 6 that while he hadn’t taken any action on Ryan’s behalf, he wouldn’t be surprised if Bush uses his powers to get Ryan out of prison.
“George Ryan’s paid a pretty big price,” Edgar said at the time. “I don’t think people appreciate, if you’ve been an elected official, you’ve been governor, now you’ve been humiliated. You’ve been found guilty. You’ve been stripped of everything, and financially you’ve been stripped of your pension. I’m not sure a few more years (in prison) is all that much more punishment to him.”
Leone urged people to contact Durbin to encourage him to “step forward and go with his feelings and convictions,” because time is short for Bush to be in office.
“I can’t imagine a new incoming president would ever deal with any pardons,” Leone said.
Leone has a picture of himself, Ryan, Bush and former Ryan chief of staff Bob Newtson. Leone said Bush, then running his father’s successful campaign for president in 1988, was visiting Ryan, then lieutenant governor, at Ryan’s Statehouse office.
Ryan also endorsed the younger Bush for president at an August 1999 rally in the Statehouse rotunda.

Bernard Schoenburg can be reached at (217) 788-1540.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.